Paris Saint-Germain have delivered a stunning blow to Hugo Ekitike and Marco Verratti by excluding them from their Champions League group stage squad, according to RMC Sport.
The decision to omit Ekitike, who irked the club’s management on the transfer deadline day, is unsurprising.
The former Stade de Reims forward had repeatedly rebuffed a move to Eintracht Frankfurt, aiming to join a Premier League club.
The decision initially cast a shadow over Randal Kolo Muani’s prospective transfer to PSG.
Kolo Muani eventually made his way to Les Parisiens, but only after the club agreed to an increased fee.
Ekitike’s rejection of the Bundesliga transfer severely tarnished his chances of seeing action in the PSG colours.
Earlier in the summer, the France youth international received a blunt message from PSG coach Luis Enrique and sporting director Luis Campos that he was surplus to requirements.
His exclusion from the Champions League squad now underscores this.
Seasoned PSG stalwart Marco Verratti has also been omitted from the squad.
The Italian midfielder was on the brink of departing the club, but he has yet to finalise a transfer.
Verratti has been linked with Qatari club Al-Arabi. His potential move still hangs in the balance, given that the Qatari transfer window is open until September 18.
He has been at PSG since 2012 and has become a key figure at the club with over 400 appearances despite his injury record.
While many people expected him to continue being a mainstay for PSG’s midfield following the arrival of Luis Enrique, the club decided to ship him off.
The absence of Ekitike and Verratti from PSG’s Champions League squad marks a significant development in the club’s ongoing reshuffling of its roster.
They have undergone a critical squad restructuring following a change of club principles and philosophy and will now hope to see results on the pitch.
